Roadway-box.



A. BUGBEE.

ROADWAY BOX.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29. 1am.

Patented May 22, 1917.

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ROADWAY BOX.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29. I913.

l,226 ,747. Patented May 22, 1917.

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ALVIN BUGBEE, 0F TRENTON,-"NEW JERSEY.

ROADWAY-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1917.

Application filed April 29, 1913. Serial No. 764,327.

of New Jersey, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Roadway- Boxeaof which the following is a specificatlon.

It is one of the essentials in the distribution of water through a system of water mains or pipes, to locate the same sufficiently below the level of the ground so that under ordinary conditions, frost cannot reach the pipes and prevent the flow of water therethrough. The control of the distribution of water is brought about by suitable valves, usually gate valves, connected to the pipes and made accessible by roadway boxes, extending to the surface of the roadway. Roadway boxes for this general purpose, while originally made of wood and subject to decay, were later made of metal, concrete, reinforced concrete, etc, but were rather difficult of assemblage and not well suited for use where varying distanceswere' met from the road surface {to the main under the road, on account'of the necessity ofmaintaimng fixed grades of the mains which were not always the grades of the road.

The present inventionprovides a road box comprising a limited number of elements of standard size whichare easily assembled without the use of screws, bolts, or other similar fastening means and permit the"con struction of a road box for use in connection with a main located at whatsoever depth below the roadway.

The accompanying drawings illustrate this new roadway box in Figure 1 in side elevation and part in vertical cross section, in Fig. 2, in a top view on line c-a of Fig. 1, of a run of elements of which the box is constructed. Figs. '3 and 4, are perspective views of some of these elements, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an intermediate holding plate, Fig. 6 a similar view of an element of elastic material, such aswood, and Fig. 7 a

similar view'ofthe base plate;

The base plate is indicated at l and comprises a rectangular member having a series of upright lugs 2 and 3 adapted to position the lower run of plates forming the sides of the box. The base plateis located immediately above the water main, and the gate valve is in the center thereof and extends vertically therethrough. The lower fun of side plates comprises the elements 4, 5, 6 and 7, each of which is provided with suitable interlocking means. These means are particularly shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and comprise the outer lugs 8 and 9, preferably at right angles to the face of the side plate and located 1 at the ends thereof, and the inner lugs 10 and 11, angularly disposed to the face and forming dovetailed recesses with the outer lugs. As shown in Fig. 8, a pair of lugs, comprising an outer rectangularly disposed and an inner angularly disposed lug, *is provided at each of the four corners of two of the side plates.

The other two of a run of side plates, Fig. 4 are provided with prismatic lugs 12 and 13, adapted to enter the dovetailed recesses formed byfthe lugs of the adjacent side plates, whereby all four of a run of side plates are GlllClBIltlY interlocked and held in position It will be seen that, on account of the small height of the lugs and their disposition at the four corners of each plate, adjacent plates can easily be locked together,

by lifting one plate to the height of a lug only, above the level of the other plate, positioning the prismatic lugs of one plate over the dovetailed recesses of the other plate, and lowering the plate again, so that the lugs enter the recesses. This manner of assembling the plates of one run is of great advantage, inasmuch as it can be accomplished with facility in the small space available in the excavation made for receivingthe roadway box and without the use of nails, screws, etc.

One pair of the side plates of one run is provided with upright lugs 15 and the other pair with a pair of lugs 16, which serve to locate and keep in place the side plates of the water main.

an upper run. The plates forming one run must of necessity be of the same height, while the height of the plates of dilferent runs may vary. The drawing illustrates only two sets of plates of different height, but it is obvious that any number of sets of plates of varying height may be used, ac cording to the distance between the gate valve and the surface of the roadway.

The uppermost run of side plates is covered by an intermediate plate or frame 17, having a series of downwardly extending lugs 18, for positioning the frame in relation to the side plates, and a series of upwardly extending lugs 19, for positioning the wooden frame 20. The particularpurpose of this wooden frame is to forma slightly elas- .tic or resilient cushion or support for the top frame and cover plate, so that the jarring caused by the passage over the cover of heavily loaded vehicles, may be sufficiently decreased or eliminated, so as toprevent a breakage of the lower elements of construction of the roadway box. The height of this wooden frame may also be properly selected for any variation in height which ordinarily could not be taken care 'of by the selection of side plates of suitable standard sizes.

The top of the roadway box is formed by the frame 21, illustrated in Fig. 1, and having downwardly extending flanges 22, adapted to enterthe frame 20.

The inner edge of the frame is preferably beveled to form a suitable support for the lid or cover 28.

In placing this new roadway box in position, an excavation is made to the level of The base plate is then firmly placed in position so as to give access to the valve of the main. One of the side plates is then erected, preferably one of the plates having the dovetailed recesses, and the adjacent plates locked thereto as already described. The last of the plates of a run is then put in place and its studs interlocked with the corresponding studs of the plates already in place. After a suflicient number of runs has been superposed, one upon the other, the intermediate plate 17 is placed thereon, then the cushion frame 20 and finally the cover frame 21 and the cover 23. As shown in the drawing, all of the plates may be sufliciently stiffened by means of ribs 24,'well known in the art. The {interlocking means of the plates make the same also adaptable for use in building horizontal passages or conduits, for receiving pipes, electric cables, etc., and forming self-sustaining structures of peculiar advantages. The

interlocking means ofone run of plates may in this case extend over the edge of the plates into the interlocking means of a second run of plates and so not only forming means for connecting together the plates of one run, but also connecting one run to the other.

Claims 1. In a roadway-box the combination with a base plate, of a plurality of rectangular plates forming a set, and means for interlocking said plates consisting of a male member located at each corner of the upper and lower edges of one or more of said plates and 'a corresponding female member located at each corner of the upper and lower edges of one or more of the other plates of said set, adapted to interlock with the male members whereby the plates may be positioned with movement corresponding to the height of said corner-members.

2. The combination with a roadway box comprising a base plate and a top plate, a plurality of sets of side plates, and interlocking means for said side plates consisting of lugs forming dovetailed recesses located at the corners of the top and bottom edges of some of said side plates of a set, and of .prismaticlugs adapted to enter said recesses and located at the corners of the top and bottom edges of the remaining side plates of a set, whereby the plates may bepositioned py moving the same only the height of said ugs.

8. The combination with a plurality of plates forming a set, of means for interlocking said plates consisting of lugs forming dovetailed recesses located at the corners of the top and bottom edges of a number of the plates of said set, and prismatic lugs adapted to enter said recesses and located at the corners of the top and bottom edges of the remaining plates of said set, whereby said plates may be positioned by moving the same only the height of said lugs.

4c. The combination with a plurality of sets of plates, of means for interlocking said plates of a set and consisting of lugs forming dovetailed recesses located at the corners of the top and bottom edges of some of the plates of said set, and prismatic lugs adapted to enter said recesses and located at the corners of the top and bottom edges of the remaining plates of said set, said lugs extending over the edge of the plates of one set and are adapted to be engaged by the lugs of the plates of an abutting set, whereby said plates may be positioned by moving the same only the height of said lugs.

5. In a roadway-box, the combination of a base-plate having lugs thereon, a set of side plates resting on said base-plate and positioned by said lugs, interlocking means for said side plates consisting of lugs forming dovetailed recesses located at the corners .of the top and bottom edges of some of said side plates, and prismatic lugs adapted to enter said recesses andlocated at the cor- 11ers of the top and bottom edges of the remeining side plates, lugs on the upper edges of said plates, and a second set of side plates superposed and resting on said first set of side plates and positioned by the lugs on the upper edges of the first set, whereby the plates may be positioned by moving the same only the height oi said lugs.

In witness whereof the inventor hes here- ALVIN BUGBEE.

In presence of- RALPH JULIAN SAoHERs, M. F. KANE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

